First Filial Friendliness Forum

SAN DIEGO – Why are California Republicans smiling so widely these days?

It’s partly because they withstood the 2006 Democratic wave, losing only one congressional seat while re-electing Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a landslide. And it’s partly because the early start to the 2008 presidential contest has allowed them to look ahead and get their minds off Iraq and Scooter Libby.

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But the real cause for celebration is the likely advancement of the California primary to Feb. 5. For the first time in decades, the Golden State will actually be relevant in selecting the party’s nominee. Whether the front-loaded schedule is good for America remains an open question, but it’s undoubtedly good for Californians.

It was into this happy cauldron that the big top-tier Republican candidates – former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – along with San Diego-area Rep. Duncan Hunter sent their spokespeople to stew last Wednesday. The pro-business Lincoln Club of San Diego sponsored a roundtable discussion among surrogates for all four campaigns, likely the first of its kind in America’s Finest City this election cycle.

And for the most part, the candidates’ representatives fed off the positive Californian energy, eager to agree with and compliment one another. Craig Goldman, McCain’s California director, said he would personally be happy seeing any of the four Republican hopefuls win the nomination, since anyone would be better than Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) or Barack Obama (Ill.) in the White House. Likewise, the Hunter campaign – represented by the congressman’s son, Duncan D. Hunter, a Marine recently returned from battling Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah – was quick to praise Giuliani’s support for expediting construction of the border fence. Firm opposition to illegal immigration is one of Hunter’s signature causes. For the most conservative candidate to laud the position of the most moderate on such a controversial issue was notable indeed.

For his part, Matt Romney, son of the presidential candidate, radiated the optimism that his dad is known for (like the younger Hunter, Matt Romney has also affected many of the speaking mannerisms of his father). Each candidate took care to accentuate the positives, and each honored the famous Eleventh Commandment propounded by a former California GOP governor, Ronald Reagan, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

The topics of conversation reinforced this amity. Befitting a group of businessmen and women, the questions the candidates fielded focused on fiscal and economic policy, most notably entitlement reform. Attendees largely kept away from asking about foreign affairs, and even when the abortion topic was broached, no one disparaged the explanation of Allan Royster, Giuliani’s California co-chair, that the mayor personally opposes abortion but believes in a woman’s right to choose. Royster earned applause when he reminded the audience of a darker time in California’s GOP politics when the party splintered over social issues, instead urging all primary voters to focus on their numerous commonly-held values.

This camaraderie stands in stark contrast to the escalating skirmishes between the Clinton and Obama campaigns – from David Geffen’s outbursts to the Clinton machine’s rebuttals to Hillary’s tagging along to Selma – with sniping from John Edwards from the sidelines. If the leading Democratic hopefuls are already at each others throats 10 months before the first primary, it will be a long 2007 indeed.

True, a Romney aide recently criticized McCain’s abortion stance, but he was swiftly rebuked, and the campaigns brushed the dispute away. And, yes, as the race heats up, the rhetoric between the candidates and their operatives will surely intensify. All four campaigns emphasized that they’ll be spending a lot of time in the Golden State over the coming months, and not every encounter will be this friendly.

But for now, everyone – sons and all – seem to be at peace as California Republicans keep on smiling.